AbbotsburyAthelhamptonBeaminsterBlandford ForumBournemouthBridportCerne AbbasChristchurchDorchesterEast LulworthFiddlefordGillinghamHighcliffeHigher BockhamptonKingston RussellKnowltonLyme RegisPoolePorteshamPortlandShaftesburySherborneSturminster MarshallSwanageVerwoodWarehamWeymouthWimborneWimborne MinsterWinterbourne Abbas
History of the Farm and Barn Benedictine Monks established St Peter's Monastery at Abbotsbury in the 1040s. They built the Tithe Barn at the centre of the farm in the 1390's. The monastery was destroyed in 1539 during the dissolution. Some of ...
Actual fossils, dinosaur skeletons, and life-size dinosaur reconstructions combine with multimedia, hands on, computer and CD-ROM displays to excite, enthral, and entertain the visitor. The Dinosaur Museum has been extensively featured on television ...
This is the only museum devoted to the terracotta warriors - now regarded as the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World - outside of China. See unique museum replicas of the terracotta warriors from China, reconstructions of costumes and armour and multimed...
Don't miss Edward Bear and his people-sized family of bears in this delightful museum. From the earliest teddies, of 100 years ago, to today's TV favourites, they're all waiting to greet you at this enchanting family museum. Teddy Bear lovers of all ...
A charming Georgian building, built as a workhouse in 1764, now filled with a rich variety of displays and objects which reflect the social and natural history of the area, its geology and archaeology.
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It is the national museum of Army communications and the exhibits and displays show the part that communications have played in the many wars and campaigns of the last 150 years. The Museum collection is regarded as being of National importance and t...
Come and see one of the most fascinating and unique museums in the world, comprising historic house, art galleries and museum, a licensed cafe, the Russell-Cotes Shop and a children's area. An ideal place for learning, exploring and socialising....
Bridport is a small town nestled amongst the hills of West Dorset, which became one of the most important towns in the realm. It is a town with many stories, glorious and infamous, celebrated and neglected, rich and poor. Bridport's is believed to be...
This Electrical Museum was opened in May 1981 by the then Chairman of Southern Electricity, John Wedgwood.
Since then the Museum has seen many changes both here and in our parent company Scottish and Southern Energy.
We thank Mr Wedgewood and h...
Today visitors to the Museum can find out about local writers, history, archaeology, geology and the natural sciences in one of the Museum's many galleries. There are also video displays, activity carts for children and an audio-guide to take you rou...
The artefacts, weapons, uniforms, medals and of course the stories of the soldiers and their families and much more are on display over three floors. Computer and digital presentation, realistic battle environments, together with exhibitions, tell th...
You can tour around the displays and equipment that shows the importance of cider as a drink over the years.
Watch the ten minute video display that shows cider actually being made on the 18th and 19th century equipment!
Find the hidden Smiley ...
The Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum tells the harrowing tale of the Martyrs arrest, trial and punishment, leading to the foundation of modern day trade unionism.
The museum has been re-designed into a modern, informative, and educational exhibition, usi...
The Museum tells the story of the town, the immediate parishes and their people. Over a thousand generations have seen this corner of the Blackmore Vale grow from a Neolithic settlement to the bustling Gillingham of today.
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The Jurassic rocks of Lyme Regis have been famous for fossils since Mary Anning discovered the first Ichthyosaur in 1811.
Dinosaurland Fossil Museum is housed in a magnificent grade 1 listed building which was once the church where Mary Anning was...
The Museum stands in the heart of the town, just where the beautiful coastlines of Dorset and Devon meet. The building has great idiosyncratic charm. Built in 1900-01 by Thomas Philpot it was badly dilapidated by 1991, and a major scheme of reconstru...
The Poole Museum is housed in historic buildings adjoining Poole Quay, with the entrance being through a new glass atrium, the museum's new public facilities include a terrace and visitor lounge with magnificent views over Poole Harbour and Old Town ...
Founded by Dr Marie Stopes the famous birth control pioneer, Portland Museum opened in 1930. It is housed in two picturesque thatched Portland Stone cottages, nestling above Church Ope Cove. Inspired by one of these cottages, Wessex author, Thomas H...
Local life and history are portrayed here through artifacts, costume, photos, ceramics, tools, domestic items and the town's first fire engine.
Marvel at the intricate Dorset buttons on display, and the "Byzant", a gold-coloured festival totem th...
The story of the Abbey and its inhabitants has been vividly brought to life in a new, state-of-the-art museum.
The museum is decorated in dramatic medieval colours chosen to reflect the interior of the original Abbey church.
The museum houses ...
Sherborne Museum is a vibrant, community-based museum entirely run by volunteers for the purpose of conserving the heritage of this lovely town and the surrounding villages. Established since 1968, we are fully accredited and occupy a Grade II listed...
The Heritage Centre is situated in the Old Market Building 'built in the 1890's on Swanage seafront on the site of the 'former 'Bankers' where the local quarried stone was stored 'before shipment. The centre contains information on the ' history, geo...
The tank was a British invention that changed warfare for ever when it was introduced in World War One - and Bovington has been the home of the tank ever since. From the Somme to Tiananmen Square or D-Day to Desert Storm the tank has played a part in...
Wareham Town Museum tells the story of the Wareham area from prehistoric times to the present day. It has a special section on Lawrence of Arabia which is regularly updated with new exhibits....
Housed in a Victorian pumping station still supplying Weymouth with water. The museum tells how water has influenced our lives from the Romans to the present day and contains a water turbine pump dating from 1857....
The Priest's House Museum is set in an historic town house where a series of period rooms takes the visitor back through the centuries. From the 17th Century Hall to the Georgian Parlour and working Victorian Kitchen, our rooms show what life and wor...
Peaceful island of woodland and heath with wide variety of wildlife. Brownsea Island is dramatically located in Poole harbour, offering spectacular views across to Studland, Old Harry Rocks and the Purbeck Hills. It offers a peaceful, natural settin...
The rural retreat of T. E. Lawrence. T. E. Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia') bought this tiny isolated brick and tile cottage in 1925. The austere rooms are much as he left them and reflect his complex personality and close links with the Middle East. ...
Thousand-year-old castle rising above the Isle of Purbeck. One of Britain's most majestic ruins, the castle controlled the gateway through the Purbeck Hills and has been an important stronghold since the time of William the Conqueror. Defended during...
Monument to Vice-Admiral Hardy. The monument was erected in 1844 in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Flag-Captain of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. It stands on the crest of Black Down, from where there are glorious ...
Birthplace of novelist and poet Thomas Hardy. Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in this small cob and thatch cottage and from here he would walk to school every day in Dorchester, three miles away. It was built by his great-grandfather and is little alte...
Elegant country mansion with important collections, set in attractive formal gardens and extensive parkland. Home of the Bankes family for over 300 years, having replaced the ruined family seat at Corfe Castle, this 17th-century house was radically a...
Home of novelist and poet Thomas Hardy. Thomas Hardy designed and lived in this house from 1885 till his death in 1928. Here he wrote Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure and The Mayor of Casterbridge, as well as much of his poet...
Vast area of sandy beaches and heathland. Fine beaches stretch continuously for 3 miles from South Haven Point to the chalk cliffs of Handfast Point and Old Harry Rocks, and include Shell Bay and a designated naturist area. The heathland behind the b...
Corn mill in a peaceful setting. Rebuilt in 1776 on a site marked in the Domesday Book, this substantial corn mill was extensively repaired in 1994 and still retains its original elm and applewood machinery (now too fragile to be used). It is situate...
A huge outline sculpted into the chalk hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas representing a naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant.
Public perceptions are wide-ranging, is he smutty, humorous or offensive? Certainly he has been used to ...
The remains of Christchurch Castle include parts of the mound-top keep, and more unusually the 12th-century riverside chamber block or 'Constable's House'. This very early example of domestic architecture includes a rare Norman chimney....
Set high on a hilltop overlooking Abbotsbury Abbey, this sturdily buttressed and barrel-vaulted 14th-century chapel was built by the monks as a place of pilgrimage and retreat....
Part of a monastic building, perhaps the abbot's lodging, of Bendictine Abbotsbury abbey. St Catherine's Chapel is within half a mile....
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